US SPECIAL/THE GITA IN MOTELS‘If this grows, sectarianfeelings and hatredwill evaporate’

Vaisesika Dasa Prabhu

When Vaisesika Dasa, born William Suczek before he embraced Hinduism, was 15, he became extremely interested in spiritual knowledge. He became a seeker to find the purpose of life.

Suczek, both of whose parents were professors in San Francisco, read many books
to quench his intellectual thirst. When he read the Gita translated by ISKCON
founder Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, he found the answers he had been
seeking.

Suczek, who met Swami Prabhupada and became his disciple in 1973 in San
Francisco, was given his present name by his spiritual master.

“He (Swami Prabhupada) engaged me in the service of distributing the BhagvadGita and spreading divine knowledge,” explained Dasa, president of the San JoseInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness temple. “Ever since I became hisdisciple I have been doing that in different ways, and this was a new way of distrib-uting knowledge that master asked me to do. As far as we at ISCKON are con-cerned, this is the most needed thing in today’s world. Despite progress in technol-ogy and other kinds of advancements — all of which are fine — the only thing is peo-ple are unhappy — because they do not have this knowledge (of the Gita).”“Right now we find that Americans are fascinated with India, its culture and yogahas been the biggest thing. Now, when we show people the Gita, in every state, peo-ple become interested,” added Dasa who has visited India several times.

“People need knowledge and they do not care where it comes from as long as it ispure,” he continued. “They want some tools to become spiritual and they see it in theBhagwad Gita. They see that this is a non-sectarian book and there is something foreverybody in this great book. So, it is reaching to all kinds of people. It is fascinat-ing that people from all kinds of religious backgrounds are taking to it.”“We find that through our distribution of the Gita in motels that people are veryeager to communicate,” he added. “And if this grows, sectarian feelings and hatredwill evaporate. That is the healthiest thing to happen. America is based on freedomof expression of ideas, specifically to bring people together for a higher cause. Thatis what America is all about. And we are hoping to add to that by bringing the greattreasure of the Gita to America.”

— Suman Guha Mozumder

The Gita’s wisdom has gone mainstream

My mother arrived in America in 1968, an unmarried nursing stu- dent, her ears popping as the
jumbo jet touched down in New York.

Packed in her luggage, among her medical
texts and notebooks, was a tattered copy of
the Bhagvad Gita. My mother wasn’t particularly religious, and her choice to bring the
Gita along with her was more pragmatic
than philosophical. As a stranger in a
strange land, she needed something to hold
on to, that would comfort her and connect
her to her roots.

It turns out that my mother wasn’t the
only one bringing the Gita west. Three years
before my mom’s first transatlantic flight, A
C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-
1977) — the apostle of Krishna bhakti and
founder of the International Society for
Krishna Consciousness — had arrived to
American shores on a steamship, fueled by
his own guru’s instructions to broadcast the
teachings of the Gita to the Western world.
Soon his young disciples would take up the
task in earnest — literally taking it to the
streets.

Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s,these disciples, many of them with shavenheads and draped in saffron dhotis or color-ful saris, became a common sight in majorGrowing up, I had mixed feelingsabout these reverse missionaries. Thelove/hate relationship continued intomy early adulthood, even as my spiri-tual journey led me to becomeinvolved with ISKCON and find myown path in the practice of Krishnabhakti.

On the one hand, I couldn’t help but be
happy to see the Gita reach new audiences
and witness it transform lives. I believed
then, as I do now, that the Gita offers universal truth and wisdom that ought not to
be restricted to those born into Hindu
households, but rather shared with the
world. For some, who are seeking a spiritual path to follow, this might mean adopting
the practices of Hinduism; but for others —
perhaps for most of the people who receive
a book — it may simply mean enhancing
their lives in some way. I sincerely believe
that the Gita can help to make a Christian a
better Christian, or a Muslim a better
Muslim, or simply make people better
human beings.

On the other hand, I felt less than com-fortable with the ‘in-your-face’ zeal of side-walk evangelism, and knew that many peo-ple regarded the Krishna devotees as annoy-ing, or even fanatical, because of it. I wasdismayed that the distribution of the Gita,especially at airports, helped to solidify anegative stereotype of the faith and makethe Hare Krishnas the butt of many jokes.

VINEETCHANDER

now have to figure them out. One of these
ways, I think, is the project to stock motel
and hotel rooms with free copies of the Gita.

Personally, I am thrilled about the project.
I think it’s creative and reflects a great sort
of ‘outside-of-the-box’ thinking. I like that it
pays homage to another faith community’s
successes by following in that faith’s footsteps, while still maintaining a sense of individuality and freshness. I love that it is a
grassroots initiative that focuses on rela-tionship-building and approaching things
with a ‘win/win’ outcome in mind.

Most of all, I think that this project’s initial success — and its potential for future
success — is proof positive that in the more
than 40 years that have passed since my
mother and her Gita arrived to America,
we’ve all grown up just a little bit.

Vineet Chander is coordinator for Hindu
Life, Princeton University. An attorney and
communications consultant, he formerly
served as director of communications for
ISKCON in North America. The views
expressed here are his own.